IDF soldiers say ordered to 'shoot to kill' at Gaza post where Palestinian girl died

[Violet_Crumble]

Soldiers and officers at the Girit outpost in the Gaza Strip, where a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was killed two years ago, claimed to have received orders to always shoot and kill when opening fire at night.

These orders violated the official rules of engagement in Gaza, according to a High Court of Justice ruling that ordered the army to open an investigation into this issue.

The decision, issued in response to a petition by the family of Iman al-Hams, killed in October 2004, was handed down a month ago. However, the court published the reasons for its decision only Sunday.


In their ruling, Justices Edmond Levy, Aharon Barak and Salim Joubran noted that the army's official rules of engagement, even in the "special security zones" that surrounded every army outpost, required soldiers to "refrain from harming innocents, with special emphasis on refraining from harming women and children."

The rules also stressed that the "a person's mere presence within this security zone does not testify to his being dangerous." Finally, they required commanders to give their soldiers clear and detailed information about the rules of engagement, "using explanations and examples," and to "ensure, via checks, that these instructions are clear to and understood by all the soldiers."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/810455.html

[Tom Joad]

1. A similar thing was said in the trial of the murderer of Tom Hurndall.

The soldier said he had standing orders to kill in that zone.

James Miller's killer had the same order.

None of these people posed any threat, but they were in the wrong place. People may remember that Tom died protecting a child who was there. If it weren't for Tom's presence that child would have met the fate of Iman al-Hams and so many more.

[oberliner]

2. Taysir al-Heib lied repeatedly under oath

And was convicted not only of manslaughter but also of giving false testimony.

That soldier is hardly a trustworthy source. Almost everything he said throughout the trial turned out to be lies.

His actions were in direct violation of IDF policy and he was imprisoned for his crime.

[Englander]

3. He's the only instance of that happening, isn't it?

Of soldiers being imprisoned for murdering innocent civilians?
How many other times have soldiers actions been in direct violation of IDF policy, & they've been
imprisoned for such crimes? What happened in the case mentioned in this article, the killing of
Iman al-Hams?